British couple escape cold to enjoy their new $750,000 Maleny Prize Home

Maleny was the perfect getaway for a British couple keen to escape the cold UK autumn.

John and Lesley, of Buckinghamshire, have been living the life of luxury during an extended holiday at their new Endeavour Prize Home on the Sunshine Coast.

While John, a kitchen-fitter, said he had a good feeling about the draw, the win was a complete shock for his wife Lesley.

"I didn‘t have a clue John had bought tickets," Lesley laughed.

"I thought the call meant something had happened to friends of ours in Brisbane."

The Buckinghamshire-born couple had five tickets in the draw for the $750,000 four-bedroom home, on Piccabeen Place.

The icing on the cake was the bonus $60,000 in gold bullion John and Lesley won for buying multiple tickets.

It wasn‘t a bad effort, especially considering the tickets were a last-minute decision.

"I‘d lost the brochure about the home but after a last chance‘ email about it I decided to go ahead and buy them," John said.

"I‘d just been paid for a job so I thought I‘d buy a few."

John was delighted with the 6.30am (British Standard Time) call to inform him of his win.

Not that he had much time to celebrate.

"I had a job on, fitting/renovating a guy‘s kitchen, so I had to go to work," he said.

"I was a little late so I tried to explain why – that I‘d won a house – but he didn‘t believe me. Nobody believed me."

John heard of Endeavour when he and Lesley lived in Adelaide in the 1980s, and has supported the organisation since.

While Lesley had seen the Prize Home brochures arrive in the mail, she didn‘t realise John actually bought tickets – she‘s certainly glad he did.

"You‘ve got more of a chance of winning a Prize Home than you do winning the lottery," John said.

John and Lesley have flown to Maleny with their three children and young grandchild to enjoy an extended holiday at their new home but plan to sell it once they return to Buckinghamshire.

"I‘d always dreamt of coming back to Australia for a visit — it‘s a bit too far away from our family to live, so this win has been a great chance to come back and surprise our friends in Adelaide," John said.

"The sale will help us help our children and I don‘t have a pension because I work for myself, so this will help out a lot."